Laughter is Rare
by Tae-Tae27
Summary: Ikebukuro returned to its natural chaos once Izaya disappeared...except he didn't. Izaya felt regret and a need for redemption. Earning a new title; Voiceless Illusion, he had set himself with the duty to protect Ikebukuro even if it costs him everything.
1. Prologue

It was finally over, wasn't it?

Izaya looked out the window of his apartment. This was what came to his mind as soon as he saw the city he once called home. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, Mikado and Masaomi were talking about girls and school, Shizuo and Tom were collecting payment or in Shizuo's case, flinging signs and poles around for everyone to see, and the color gangs were doing their day-to-day things. Fights still occasionally broke out, and Celty was still being chased by cops, but things have quieted down remarkably for Ikebukuro…all because Izaya wasn't here anymore.

Izaya still lived in Ikebukuro though only he knew that. For all the other's knew, he was probably not even in the Kanto region anymore. They all assumed he had just…disappeared after the fight, between him and Shizuo. Although to be honest, Izaya preferred things to stay this way, obscure and discrete. He didn't want anyone to know that he was still here…because he cared too much to let that happen. Call it a change of heart if you will, but the fact remains; he didn't want anyone else hurt because of him. The realization hit him after he had somewhat recovered from their fight. He realized that what he was doing was couldn't continue anymore. However, this realization did not lead him to a _better, happier life_ , _happy ending for everyone_ , or _make up with everyone and live happily ever after._ Things like that don't happen or rarely happen. For Izaya, the experience had somewhat scarred him. He always flinched slightly-mentally or physically-when he saw Shizuo, always sighed sadly when he saw Shinra and Celty, and always felt a pang of nostalgia whenever he saw Mairu or Kururi. He did not want anyone else to be associated with him; personally at least. He remembered how he used to be in control of everything, laughing when he saw his plans going accordingly to how he imagined it, chuckling delightedly whenever he saw something exceeded his expectations and complementing anyone that interfered with him.

Now he was just trying to stay alone

Izaya looked back to his laptop that replaced his deluxe monitor set and continued typing. He was still an information broker, though not in the same way as before **(This term is actually incorrect. An information broker is a person that sells information to others in exchange for money. To not do that wouldn't be classified as an information broker)** Now, he was searching for dirty secrets of Ikebukuro, exposing them, and taking care of the problem personally before anyone had to get involved. This also included tracking the lives of Mikado, Shizuo and the rest of the population of Ikebukuro to make sure they were not caught up in anything unhealthy. As a former information broker, he knew how to distinguish from casual things from not-so-casual things. Ironically, it was because of his new line of work that gained him unwanted fame. Several times, he had to make personal trips to take care of something particularly troubling and had been seen by bystanders.

He was known locally as _Musei sakkaku_ ; Voiceless Illusion. In some ways, he had become a legend, like Celty. He would take pleasure in the fact that he was now helping instead of hurting.

The last case had been relatively simple and straightforward. A gang had been targeting children in the area, kidnapping them and receiving huge amounts of money to have then returned. Izaya had caught on long before anyone else even noticed, pretending to be a sibling paying for the safety of their kids, then leading the cops right to them. Common gang activity was all legal enough, but what they were doing was beyond tolerance. He had seen several anonymous thanks on the internet for the person that had saved them. He would always feel a glow at that, knowing that he had done something good, or even honorable.

Right now, he was typing away on his laptop, looking for local rumors, possible threats or anything else he had to deal with. It was still fun, he had to admit, to know everything that goes on. Sure it may not be for the same reasons as before, but it was still…comforting to know…things…that happen. He chuckled soundlessly at the ever-envolving theories about Musei Sakkaku's identity which were dotted all across the internet, and how inaccurate they were. Some people suspected the Black Rider to be the same person as Musei Sakkaku, others believed that he was a ghost that was seeking vengeance on certain people that just so happened to be the baddies of Ikebukuro. They were always fun to read, though Izaya had always feared that there would be that one person that actually got it right.

"Psyche-san, are you okay?" said a robotic voice. Izaya looked down at his PDA to see an A.I. looking back at him, worry evident on her face. She was an Artificial Intelligence he had personally programmed, with almost every trait a human had. {I'm alright} he typed, laughing. The A.I., Sonia, looked unconvinced. "You may fool yourself, but you can't to a robot. Are you worrying over about the theories about you again? I recommend you get up and walk around. Don't forget to not use your voice unless you have to" Izaya nodded. After the fight with Shizuo, one may expect his legs or arms to be broken, but they weren't. No, it was his _voice box_ that got busted, though how that'd happened was beyond him. Because of this, his use of sound is limited to about an hour a day. **(This is probably incorrect due to the fact that a nearly-destroyed voice box would stop working if one uses it for a straight hour. But hey, it's Durarara we're talking about)** Izaya thought of this as more of a penalty for losing rather than a disability, so he had taken it quietly, not really minding the fact that he wasn't allowed to talk for twenty-three hours/day. He carries a PDA around, like Celty, whenever he has to communicate. It was a neat little arrangement and one that worked remarkably despite its simplicity.

"Psyche!" shouted Sonia, turning his attention back onto herself, "I'm supposed to monitor your movements and give you advice on what you should do! You programmed me to do just that, and if you're not going to listen, I'm going to turn off your laptop so you'll have no choic!" Izaya smiled tolerantly at the little, red-faced A.I., {I know, and you're doing a great job. I was just…thinking…about things…} he typed. Sonia scowled at him, "Well stop thinking and start working! Don't forget your next episode is due in eight hours!" Izaya nodded. Since he had given up on being an information broker, he became an animator. Fan-written stories were sent to him, he would animate the entire thing-one episode at a time, and they would agree on a price. He had chosen to collect payment after completion simply as a sign of honesty even though some may argue that it would be a unintelligent move in the working world. It was a stable enough job, and one that he enjoyed because he could share the workload with Sonia if he wanted to even though Sonia would tell him it was "cheating".

As the thought occurred, Izaya quickly typed {Hey Sonia? Can you handle the animations for tonight? I'll be going out to check on a few things} Sonia frowned, "What happened?" she asked. Izaya shook his head, {Nothing important. I just thought I should go out more often. After all, I can't go outside during daytime now can I?} Sonia sighed, "Sure, I'll see what I can do" she said. {Thanks, you're a big help} he typed before closing his PDA with a small _smack_. Ikebukuro's real nature was about to be revealed, and Izaya was going to see like he did...every day.

 **Hi! It's Me!**

 **The prologue is done! I don't think I'll be continuing this series but I still thought I should put it out here. I'm actually really reluctant to put this one out here because I honestly don't' think this one is all that good. I literally ran out of ideas as soon as I posted this, so don't expect anything great from this one.**

 **That's all I got, Ciao!**


	2. I Shouldn't Have Been Here

"Alright, I'm done scanning the area. There are no interferences. There are sixteen people in a one kilometer radius, three of which are eye witnesses, dates are Sept. 8, Sept. 8 and August 3 upon meeting" said Sonia, her voice full of confidence. She doesn't make mistakes in this sort of stuff. Izaya nodded. He was in his apartment, wearing a black, cropped jacket, a black undershirt, black, tight-fitting pants and to top it all off, a pair of fingerless gloves. It seemed flashy, and attempt-to-be-cool sort of feel, but it was all actually quite practical, hence their dark color. He also felt like he was being baked alive in his stuffy apartment. "Psyche, get outside. You're overheating" said Sonia, her tiny little voice somehow sounding authoritive. Perhaps "overheating" was an overstatement. Izaya wrapped a thick, fluffy scarf over his lower face, forming a mask of sorts before heading out. It wouldn't do for someone to see (and recognize) him. That would cause pandemonium.

He leapt on to his balcony (Fun Fact; Izzy doesn't actually have a balcony according to the wiki), threw his double-doors wide open, and leapt out, bolting from just inside the door frame to the guardrail, (Gah! I don't know what those fence-things are called! Just bear with me here, I'm going to use a lot of incorrect terms), kicking off and swinging up to the next balcony belonging to anyone unlucky enough to live above Izaya. It was a display of acrobatics and confidence (or stupidity, either way).

The wind was biting at him by the time he got up. The tiny breezes of chilling air whisked past at him, making his hair vibrate slightly before falling back into their original position. Izaya took one look down, and was never disappointed at the sight that met his eyes. The city of Ikebukuro was revealing its veil that it so effectively wore during day. Almost all the lights were darkened, but there were still the street lamps and the few miniscue people walking around, which he easily picked out. He couldn't help the tiny, mischievous grin that spread across his face. He used to observe humans like this, and the sight brought back memories. Each person was like a snowflake, unpredictable in their path. Each one so unique, but unnoticed. Oh, how ordinary they were. Maybe he should change that...

"Psyche! Snap out of it! said Sonia, sensing that Izaya was getting a little carried away. Izaya snapped himself out of it, turning slightly red as he did so. He stood there for a few seconds, an uncertain pose that looked strange on the usually-confident Izaya. Sonia huffed impatiently, "Well then? What are you waiting for?" she asked, taping her digital watch in a mark of impatience.

Izaya leapt off the roof onto the next one. Jumping from roof to roof was easy for him, and his landings were silent. He did this for a while, bouncing around Ikebukuro, looking for whatever trouble. There seemed to be none, and he heaved a sigh of relief.

He was heading back when something caught his eye. He looked down to see Celty. She looked like she was in a hurry. Now, it wasn't uncommon for Celty to be in a hurry. After all, that's what transporters do…hurry around. But she also had this fear look to her. Izaya switched his gaze to see the cops again, lead by scarface. He grimaced. He generally stayed away from the cops, but this sort of situation was annoying to look at. It was like…seeing someone else struggle with something so blandly simple that you have to help. He mentally calculated the distance between him and Celty. "Sonia, scan the area. Is Shinra nearby?" he asked. Sonia shook her head, "Shinra is in his apartment, which his a bit far from here" "How about Shizuo?" he asked, then corrected himself before Sonia could process the information, "No…Not him. What about Dota and the others?" Izaya's voice trembled a bit at the mention of Shizuo, but Sonia pretended not to notice, she did a mental calculation. Her face lit up in success. "They are less than 8 meters away!" she declared. Izaya mentally shouted in triumph. "Alright, I'm going to send you a message, and you are going to send it to Erika in approximately six minutes" he said, pocketing Sonia before she could answer. She would do it, and she would do it exactly how Izaya wanted it.

 _*Durarara!*_

Celty yelped mentally as the cops drew closer. In recent days, they seemed to have become more active. She really wished they would leave her alone, after all she technically didn't break any laws…except for riding a motorcycle wayyy to fast and mayyybe parking in places she wasn't suppose to be. She concentrated hard behind her helmet. They were closer now, and she was planning to round a sharp bend to buy her some time. A normal motorcycle couldn't do that, but her's wasn't normal. She was getting closer…

She almost popped off her helmet at the sight. She had turned too early, and came onto an end. Roadblock. She immediately tried to turn around (even though she knew it was useless) when one of the cops got her. "Whoa! Hold it there missy. I think you have some explaining to do" one of them said, jerking her roughly to the ground. Celty stumbled and fell, hitting the floor hard. She tried to get up, but one of the cops straight up slammed their motorcycle on top of her. Celty grunted in pain as the cop pressed lightly on the gas. Celty's shadows were hard, but an entire, iron motorcycle on a single fragment of shadow was a lot.

Like…a lot.

Celty pulled out her PDA and typed with shaking hands [Just let me off the hook this time! I didn't' do anything wrong!]. The cop puckered up his lips, "Aww…didn't you now?" he said. He stepped on the gas a little harder, and drew a scream. Celty couldn't actually scream, but the mist around her started to quiver restlessly and threatened to shroud them all in darkness. The cop wasn't intimidated.

Then there was another scream.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The cop on the motorcycle looked in surprise. A scream like that could only mean trouble in this city. As soon as his eyes left Celty, he felt an impact, knocking him cold. The people around him flinched and took a single step back before the same thing happened. All there was were a blur of darkness and the sound of bodies hitting the cement.

Celty felt the motorcycle lift. She saw a strange shape on the top of one of the low-lying roofs that shielded occasionally passersbyes from the rain. The figure pulled out his own PDA. {Well, what are you waiting for? Get up!} Celty needed no second invitation, rearing up Shooter and scaling the walls in a matter of seconds. All that was left as evidence as a pile of cops lying on the floor.

[Thank yo-] started Celty, but Psyche shushed her quickly. {Get out of here before someone finds out what happened} he said. Celty looked down to the crime scene, [What about you?]. Psyche shrugged, {What about me? I'll stay here and look out for trouble} he typed. Celty hesitated, [No, I can't do that] she typed. Psyche growled slightly, startling Celty. {I have to stay, more cops are on their way and they…can't…find…you} he said, emphasizing the last few words. Before Celty could complain, red-and-blue sirens started to flash. Psyche shoved Celty back onto Shooter. {Go!} he typed. Then he leapt up to a different roof and disappeared. There was shouting from the cops as they chased after what they assumed to be the attacker. Celty could only look as the figures grew more distant, the wailing of the sirens softer before riding silently away. She felt kind of bad leaving Psyche behind, but there wasn't anything to be done about it now.

Izaya cussed as the police drew near. He had been leading them on for about half an hour now and they showed no sign of stopping, do they not know the meaning of giving up? So this is what Celty must feel like, thought Izaya sourly as he leapt from roof to roof. Several pedestrians were pointing to Izaya, gasping and murmuring "Voiceless". Izaya sighed, now there were more people he had to avoid. Perfect.

He ran for about another few hours before finally darting into an alleyway and watching the blue-and-red, flashing motorbikes pass him. He sighed in relief as they finally lost him. This had been…fun, and tense. After he was sure they would give up the chase, he climbed back onto the roof and took a different route back to the apartment.

And so the eventful night ended, with Celty unknowingly meeting Voiceless and Izaya unintentionally seeing an old acquaintance. Perfectly normal for the district of Ikebukuro. After all, it's a place where legends become reality and chaos a way of life.

 **Hi! It's Me!**

 **Soo...you may have noticed the fact that I replaced the stars (*) with *Durarara!*'s. This is because whenever I use stars, they delete themselves after I upload them. I dunno, I'll be using these as a subsitute from now on.**

 **That's all I got, Ciao!**


	3. Psyche-niisan

" _Izaya!_ _"_

 _Izaya looked back to an angry Shizuo. He looked beat-up and his stance was crouched. He was holding a stop sign as he stumbled up to him. Izaya wanted to help him, but his body wouldn_ _'_ _t listen. Instead,_ _his_ _face spouted out a grin._ _"_ _Shizu-chan!_ _"_ _he said happily,_ _"_ _What happened to you?_ _"_ _The voice was not his own, it was sarcastic,_ _uncaring_ _, and devoid of any pity. It was pure_ _consternation_ _. Shizuo_ _'_ _s eyes blazed_ _with_ _anger as he ran up to him, ready to take him on. Izaya_ _desperately_ _wanted to shout_ _that_ _it wasn_ _'_ _t him, that he wouldn_ _'_ _t! His hand closed around the cold, terrifyingly familiar handle._

" _Shizuo!_ _"_

 _Shizuo suddenly collapsed. He spat_ _out_ _a red liquid, and dropped the sign. It fell with a clatter onto_ _the_ _concret_ _e, which had somehow materialized in the darkness Izaya was seeing._ _He watched helplessly, still_ _grinning against his will. A whisper of steel, and_ _his_ _switchblade_ _poised high above Shizuo_ _'_ _s_ _unprotected_ _back._

 _He_ _plunged_ _it in, deep._

 _Then he laughed as everything faded to black_

" _ **No [yes!]!"**_

" _ **[Don't] stop!"**_

" _ **It [was]n't me!"**_

" _ **I'm sorry!"**_

Izaya woke up. He was sleeping on his desk, again. For a moment, he just lay there, comprehending what he saw. The lingering effects of the recurring nightmare made his breathing irregular and his head ache dully. The bright afternoon light shone in from the cracks in his drawn blinds. The scene seemed unfitting. The cheerful morning light coupled with the dark, agonizing nightmare. He realized he was soaked in sweat, the screen of his laptop still shining dimly, highlighting his midnight hair. Beside him, the familiar voice of Sonia shook him out of the confusion and fear that had gripped him. "Psyche?" asked the worried voice, "Are you awake?"

Of course he was.

Izaya didn't reply. Sonia pressed a little farther. "I woke you up because I detected abnormal mental waves. Are you having another nightmare?" Izaya nodded, "Y-Yeah" he said shakily. Sonia sighed. Izaya had been having these nightmares for a while now. The theme varied, but they were always about Shizuo, Shinra and the rest. Sonia didn't even know it was humanely possible for someone to feel this guilty.

"You should get up and walk around, maybe take a shower" she suggested, then as an afterthought, added. "and stop pulling allnighters" Izaya took her advice and walked to the washroom. Sonia waited outside while Izaya. It was times like this that made it hard to believe that he was a former, evil information broker who had made a living by exposing and selling secretes to others. He seemed so kind, so gentle, so normal-at least from Sonia's perspective. In the end, he was really just another person who was caught up in Ikebukuro's natural eat-or-be-eaten atmosphere. Sonia wished she could do more, but what can an A.I on a cell do? Only so much, she thought gloomily.

Izaya came out, toweling his damp hair. He was wearing a dark-blackish grey tee now, and seemed more casual than the Voiceless costume he was required to wear outside. (As a matter of fact, Izaya had debated with Sonia for hours on whether the flamboyant outfit was really necessary, to which Sonia replied; "The nerdier and lamer you look, the easier it would be for you to fit in with the local legends") {Sonia, run me through my schedual} he said tiredly, flopping onto a sofa. Sonia sighed before listing out the tasks to-be done. "Leasure Tasks: Animation works, episode 11 due next week, rent is due in eight days, and three gang activities have to be stopped. Urgent Activities: Just ran out of coffee-Izaya groaned at that-some e-mails to be replied tooo…andthat'sall" she said. Izaya made a noise that sounded something like I-know-you're-hiding-something-because-I've-been-living-with-you-for-a-year-and-plus-you're-a-very-bad-liar. "Just tell me" he said, "I need to know anyways" Sonia reluctently added, "And...Mairu and Kururi may kiiinda need your help…they got kicked out of their apartment" As an A.I. programmed specifically for assistance, she always felt a pang of guilt whenever she had to deliver bad news, no matter how small.

Izaya sighed. "Le gasp" he said sarcastically. Mairu and Izaya always had somewhat of an unusual relationship. Mairu wasn't a bad kid or any of that, but it was just that Izaya was having trouble feeling a connection to Mairu. Consequently, the lack-of-feeling also carried over to Kururi, being siblings and all. They tolerated each other, but that was about it. Now, this isn't saying that they haven't _tried_. Many times, when Izaya was out shopping or something, he would think about Mairu or Kururi, and wonder what they were doing, or something trivial like that. In his opinion, such thoughts were not useful, and wern't interesting either. Of course, the feeling of no-connection drastically increased after they grew up and went their separate ways.

And now they had gotten themselves in trouble, again.

"They'll need a place to stay, as well as financial support and insurances" said Sonia. Izaya nodded absentmindedly, "I know, I know" he sighed. Money was little concern to him, but this also meant a lot of work for him. Getting up, he walked over to his desk and started to type on his glossy black laptop. Preparations had to be made, and it wasn't going to be easy.

*Durarara!* 

"Oof!"

Mairu hit the floor roughly followed by the sound of her bags hitting the floor. She glared angrily at the concierge. She never really liked him "At least give us a week's notice!" she shouted. Kururi nodded, "She is right. What you are doing is technically ille-"

The concierge slammed the door before Kururi even finished speaking. "Oh shut up!" he said. Pair of troublemakers. Mairu huffed angrily and for a moment, debated weither to break down the door and bust back in. Kururi laid a calming hand on her shoulder. She could sense what she was thinking, and they were not going to jail today.

Mairu turned around stiffly, nose high in the air. She looked disdainful, as if saying, "So what" But inside, she was feeing a bad sense of dread. What was she suppose to do now? Where would they live, how would they get a job? Kururi picked up her bag which contained her belongings, and pulled Mairu up. "C'mon, let's go" she whispered. Mairu took her hand and stood up. Kururi dusted her off before walking away from the apartment.

Mairu didn't like it when something bad happened to them. The bullying at school, the job given by Namie, they didn't count because they could actually do something about it. But arguing with a concierge was another matter entirely. The concierge wasn't an honest person and would probably make up some horsecrap story to have them arrested or something. Hence Mairu's bad mood Kururi, on the other hand, seemed more pragmatic about their situation. They've been kicked out, they leave. Simple, though that did not mean she was happy about it. In that sense, the two sisters were alike.

"Nei nei Kururi, what's going to happen to us?" asked Mairu happily, the cheerful tone being forced out of her. Kururi shrugged, "I'm not sure" she said. Mairu sighed, the sigh looking uncharacteristically happy on her face. "Maybe we should ask Iza-nii..." she said, then discarded the idea. Mairu snorted, "Iza-nii doesn't care" she said offhandedly, "I'd be surprised if he still remembers us" Kururi nodded, "Yeah…" she said.

If they were honest with themselves, they kinda did wish Izaya was there. They didn't like each other, but at least Izaya raised them…more or less…and supported them financially. After Izaya disappeared, they were left with a huge wad of cash, enough for a year. It's been 11 months.

"Well...we were bound to run out of cash anyways" Kururi quietly added. Mairu nodded, "Yeah…I guess" she said. After running out of cash, they had to move out anyways, reasoned Mairu, the sooner the better…right?

They stopped short when they saw a figure dressed all in black in front of them, leaning against the wall of Russia Sushi. He was looking directly at the pair, a pair of shades on, no mask this time. Mairu let out a fangirl shriek. "Is that Voiceless?!" she asked, excited at meeting another legend of Ikebukuro. Kururi nodded, "Maybe…" she said. Mairu, dragging Kururi along with her, skipped to where Izaya was standing. "HIII!" she said, her high tone shattering windows and eardrums, "ARE YOU VOICELESS?!" Izaya winced inwardly at the noise but nodded, {Yeah. You're Mairu and Kururi right?} he replied. Mairu shrieked again.

Kururi stepped in front of Mairu's fangirl moment, "Why are you here?" she asked. Like all the other people living around da district, she had heard about Voiceless. Izaya shrugged, {You need help} he said bluntly. Kururi was taken back, how did he know? "Um…yes. We do need help, but I doubt you can provide i-"

Izaya, or Psyche, cut her off. {You need to pay off school fees, a place to live, as well as financial suport. Am I correct?} he added unnecessarily. Kururi nodded. Mairu interjected, "Whoa! How did you know?" she said, her eyes twinkling like Erika's, ready to believe just about anything Izaya spouted out. Izaya shrugged, {Magic} he said casually.

Translation, three straight hours of research, planning and coffee.

Kururi cut back in, "This doesn't solve the problem, you don't have that kind of money" she said bluntly. She wasn't being rude, just matter-of-fact. Izaya smiled secretively, taking no offense. {Already taken care of} he said, clicking on the PDA.

Mairu was jumping up and down by now, squealing and ready to explode with barely contained excitement.

"Sugoi! Voiceless-san! You're amazing!" said Mairu. She leapt up and pecked him on the cheek. Kururi did so too, but only because Mairu did. Izaya didn't smile or blush, he was too immune for that. {Well then? Let's go} he typed.

Mairu and Kururi skipped along with Izaya (Well…Mairu skipped, Kururi walked). Makes a person wonder if they've ever heard of stranger danger.

*Durarara!*

"Whoa…" said Mairu as they walked into their new apartment (on the third floor). It was fully furnished, with the latest equipment, not the rundown, last centaury designs that most apartments had. There were windows placed sparingly, lights that didn't flicker, and a closet full of clothing. In addition, the walls were freshly painted, making the room look more new than it was. Mairu, after a full thirty seconds of open-mouthed gaping, started to see a problem. She looked at Izaya. "Eto…Illusion-san, you've done a lot, but we can't pay you back right now…" she said hesitantly. Izaya typed, {No worries, you don't have to} he said. Kururi stepped in, "That's not possible. Living expenses would be too high, and the fact that this apartment is so…modern would mean that the rent must be expensive too. We can't allow you to do that" Izaya shrugged, {Not really a problem, I've got enough, plus I'll transfer some money to you every week so you have enough for expenses as well as rent and stuff} he said vaguely.

Mairu threw her arms around Izaya. "Arigato Musei-san! You're da best!" she said simply yet happily. Izaya nodded, {No problem. And call me Psyche} he added.

Mairu nodded as she pulled away, she had tears in her eye and a big, happy, slightly lopsided grin on her face. "Okay…Psyche-niisan" she said.

 _Nii_

The simple suffix brought back a torrent of memories.

Painful, hurtful, nightmare memories.

"Y'know. It's actually kind of funny" she said, her tone had changed. Izaya looked at her, {Why?} he asked, curious. Mairu looked away, smiling sadly, "You remind me of someone, someone I thought I cared for. You're like him, but also not like him. You've done so much…for a pair of stranger's you've never met before. You probably don't know this, but we used to live with another sibling…Izaya-oniisan" she added. I don't know what went wrong, she added to herself, silently. Something wet fell onto Izaya's shirt, instantly soaking in.

Izaya didn't show the hurt in his eyes.

 _Mairu, did I really cause this much hurt?_

 _It's weird, I don't feel anything.S_

 _I want to say that I cared, but that wouldn't be right._

 _I can't find you. It's as if the past years of our lives meant nothing._

" _Psyche-nii, don't leave..."_

_Izaya left us_

_Aoba left us_

_Namie left us_

 _We don't have anyone left, don't leave…_

{So….is anyone hungry?" asked Izaya, changing the topic. Kururi nodded, answering for Mairu. "Yeah" she said. She wasn't hungry herself, but she knew Mairu was. Izaya nodded, {Well...there should be a bento on the kitchen table...} he said and watched as Mairu's eyes lit up.

"Bento?" she asked, already forgetting the heartfelt words she had uttered earlier.

Izaya nodded.

Then there was the sound of a human breaking the sound barrier, a lid opening followed by the sound of chopsticks on rice.

Rice, seaweed salad, pickled side dishes, and a chocolate heart written on the nori.

Mairu hadn't tasted home cooking for a while now; she couldn't cook and always ordered take-out. But takeout didn't have the same emotions put in, didn't have any care. This was so warm...and sweet. She smiled happily as she shoved it in, bit after bit. She glanced over at Kururi, who was nibbling at hers. Mairu went and stole some from Kururi, who watched her tolerantly. After a minute, Kururi reached over and stole some of hers. Mairu smiled at her. Izaya watched them from the doorway. They were acting like real siblings, thought Izaya.

Unlike me.

Suddenly, Izaya didn't want to hang around anymore. There was a lingering, tight feeling in his heart. It felt…uncomfortable, like icicles stabbing at him. He thought for a moment, the feeling was familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint it. He shrugged it off, but the mood stayed.

With a flicker of movement, he was gone. Just like a shadow.


End file.
